This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-290116, filed Oct. 3, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus which ejects a water-based ink on a recording medium from a nozzle provided on a nozzle face of an ink-jet head.
2. Description of Related Art
In an inkjet recording method, an ink droplet is discharged from a fine nozzle, and then adheres onto a recording medium to form a recording. Various types of ink discharge methods may be used, including an electrostatic attraction method, a drop-on-demand method in which mechanical vibration or displacement is applied to an ink by using a piezoelectric element, and a thermal ink-jet method in which a bubble is generated by heating the ink.
An ordinary ink-jet recording apparatus is schematically shown in FIG. 3. This ink-jet recording apparatus 110 comprises a carriage 4 in which an ink-jet head unit 3 having an ink cartridge 1 and an ink-jet head 2 is mounted, a carriage drive unit (not shown) which reciprocates the carriage 4 along a carriage guide rod 5, a platen roller 6 which is disposed opposite to the ink-jet head unit 3 and transports a recording paper, a purge device 7 which aspirates the residual ink, which may contain bubbles or have an inappropriate composition, from the nozzle face 2a of the ink-jet head 2, and a rubber wiper 8 for wiping ink or a foreign matter from the surface of the nozzle face 2a at the home position.
Nevertheless, when the nozzle face 2a is repeatedly wiped by using the rubber wiper 8, there is a problem in that, for example, a fine scratch may sometimes be generated on the nozzle face or an ink repellant layer formed on an outermost surface of the nozzle face 2a may sometimes be removed. This causes the ink or dust tends to gradually deposit on the nozzle face 2a, which then leads to deterioration of recording quality.
The nozzle face 2a may also be cleaned in a non-contact matter by blowing off the ink or foreign matter using a gas.